1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to water amusement attractions and rides. More particularly, the disclosure generally relates to a floating water park and a system and method for water transportation. Further, the disclosure generally relates to water-powered rides and to a system and method in which participants may be actively involved in a water attraction.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The popularity of participatory family water recreation facilities (e.g., water parks) and water rides in amusement parks has increased in recent years. Traditional water rides (e.g., waterslides, river rapid rides, log flumes) require participants to walk or be mechanically lifted to the ride entrance, from which gravity enables water, riding vehicles, and/or riders to slide down a chute or incline to a splash pool at a lower elevation. Although some water rides move riders uphill as well, these rides also generally start on an elevated tower and may require walking up steps or an incline to reach the ride entrance.
Traditional downhill water rides are typically short in duration (normally measured in seconds of ride time) and have limited throughput capacity. The combination of these two factors may result in long queue line waits of up to two or three hours for a relatively short ride. Additional problems (e.g., hot and sunny weather, wet patrons, excessive walking) may result in poor customer satisfaction or low perceived entertainment value in the water park experience.
Transportation between rides or areas of a large amusement park may be provided by a mechanical transportation system (e.g., train or monorail). These forms of transportation may be passive in nature, with little if any guest-controlled functions (e.g., choice of pathway, speed of riders, rider activity). Typical amusement park transportation systems may be unsuitable for water parks because of high installation and operating costs. In addition, water park guests are often wet and may prefer to stay wet and/or be more active to offset heat loss due to water immersion and evaporative cooling. Thus, integrating transportation with water rides through a water park may be desirable.
For water rides that involve the use of a vehicle (e.g., a floatation device such as an inner tube or floating board), a rider may be required to carry the vehicle from the exit of the ride to the start of the ride. Vehicles could be transported from the exit to the entrance of the ride using mechanical transportation devices, but these devices may be expensive to install and operate. Delays and/or effort associated with carrying and/or transporting vehicles may cause excess wear and tear on the vehicles, reduce guest enjoyment, contribute to guest injuries, and inhibit guest access to the rides. Also, a water park that includes several non-integrated rides may require different vehicles for one or more rides, thereby increasing operating expenses and complicating logistics. Thus, use of common vehicles for a variety of rides may be advantageous.
Water park rides may require substantial waiting periods in a queue line due to the large number of participants at the park. In some embodiments, a series of corrals may be used to form a meandering line of participants that extends from the starting point of the ride toward the exit point of the ride. Besides the negative and time-consuming experience of waiting in line, the guests are usually wet, exposed to varying amounts of sun and shade, and are not able to stay physically active, resulting in physical discomfort and/or lowered guest satisfaction. Additionally, these queue lines may be difficult for physically disabled guests to negotiate.
In some water parks, rides and other attractions far from the main entrance may be underused relative to rides and attractions close to the main entrance. Queue lines for popular rides may be overcrowded. Unbalanced overcrowding may lead to guest dissatisfaction and less than optimal guest dispersal throughout the park. An efficient method of transportation between rides in a water park may alleviate these problems.
The geographic location of a water park may restrict the length of the operating season of the water park. For example, a water park may be closed due to low winter temperatures. Additionally, a water park may be closed due to inclement weather such as rain, windstorms, and/or other disruptive conditions that might reduce enjoyment and/or compromise safety of participants. Limiting the number of days a water park is open may reduce the profitability of the water park.
Availability of suitable land may limit development of water parks. While it is desirable to locate water parks close to a high concentration of potential participants, land prices, especially for large tracts of land, may be prohibitively expensive near large metropolitan areas or popular vacation destinations.